


Put It in a Bottle

by Sutured_Sentiment



Series: Coldflash Week 2017 [3]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Coldflash Week 2017, How Do I Tag, Injury, M/M, Metahuman Experimentation, Tumblr: coldflashweek, protective Len, sorry this is late
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-15
Updated: 2017-05-15
Packaged: 2018-10-31 22:48:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10909050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sutured_Sentiment/pseuds/Sutured_Sentiment
Summary: It's their first mission together as boyfriends... and of course it goes wrong in every way possible.Coldflash Week 2017- Day Three: Forced to Work Together





	Put It in a Bottle

“ _ Alright boys, remember the plan and be careful _ ,” Joe’s voice crackled through their earpieces. Barry glanced over at the man beside him and nodded. He was eager to get the job over with as fast as possible. Luckily, fast was just his specialty. 

About a week ago, Cisco had picked up on some strange happenings all throughout Central City. Confirmed metahumans were going missing, only to turn up dead a few days later. After running multiple tests, Cisco had concluded that their DNA had been changed, that something was missing from the initial mutation. It was baffling. Finally, after a week of tiring research and running around they had a lead. It was an old warehouse. It appeared to be in shambles, but all their clues had lead to here. Barry had wanted to go rushing in to look around a bit; maybe bash a few heads. However, Joe had been adamant on him not going in alone. After all, what would happen if he somehow lost his powers? Surely nothing good. Barry had persistently argued with him about it, but it was to no avail. Joe could be just as stubborn as him when he wanted to be. In the end, Barry grudgingly agreed to a partner.

And that was how he found himself hiding just outside the shady warehouse in the company of Leonard Snart. He had been one of the  _ last  _ people Barry wanted to go with, but the team had all agreed that he was the best choice with his certain  _ expertise _ . It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the man- far from it actually. The two had only been dating for a couple weeks now, but already Barry had become quite protective over him. They would be going into a place they knew nothing about, where metahumans were being  _ killed _ . He knew Len was capable of taking care of himself, but in this instance he was just a man. He had no powers. He didn’t even have his cold gun. He had been forced to leave it at STAR Labs, as it would have only gotten in the way of this particular mission with its sheer bulk.

“Ready,” Barry whispered. Len nodded. They cautiously made their way into the dark warehouse. They could hear voices coming from further in as they crept quietly. They continued deeper in until they were crouching at the very edges of the shadows, cautiously peering over the crates they hid behind. 

Two people were standing in the middle of the room, dimly illuminated by a single flickering overhanging light. Each had  armed men positioned behind them, tense and ready to take action if necessary. The two were obviously in charge and wary of each other. One of them- a woman wearing a long coat with a tall collar that blocked most of her face from view- reached into his pocket and drew out a small corked vial. A glowing blue liquid splashed around inside as she held it up. The other- a man with graying hair and calculating eyes- studied it carefully. He motioned to one of his guards. The guard stepped forward, a pistol flashing wickedly under the lamplight as he tucked it away and fished in his deep jacket pockets for something. He pulled out a few thick stacks of tightly bound hundred dollar bills and handed them to his boss. The exchange was made quickly and the man walked out with the vial, his guards following close behind, their weapons drawn and pointed anxiously at the other crew. Then there was the sound of slamming doors, squealing tires, and they were gone.

Len glanced over at Barry who was watching the whole thing with brows furrowed in worry and confusion. He opened his mouth to whisper something when a strong feminine voice rang out.

“I know you’re there.” They both froze, their blood running cold. Barry tensed, ready to grab Len and get the hell out of there in the blink of an eye if they needed.

“Come out into the light little rat.” She spoke with a thick accent that Len couldn’t quite place and he refrained from rolling his eyes. He felt like he had walked into the most cliche gangster movie. He motioned for Barry to stay where he was, safely hidden away, before he stood up and slowly strolled out into the open. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and kept his face neutral. He already missed the reassuring weight of his cold gun. He would have to trust Barry to get them both out should things go awry. 

“And who might you be,” the woman spoke as he reached her and faced her. She had a slender face, framed by dark curls. Her lips were painted in a bright red, making them stand out stark against her pale skin. Her eyes were wide and unnerving.

“Leonard Snart,” he responded cooly. She raised a slender brow and grinned a cheshire grin. It was predatory, like she had just found a new mouse to toy with. 

“Oh! It’s a pleasure to finally make the acquaintance of the infamous Captain Cold. My name is Tina. I was wondering if you would ever come by to strike a deal.” He tried to look like he knew what she meant.

“Yes. I’ve heard about your...  _ work _ , and I came to see if it was as impressive as they say,” he drawled. She almost looked offended.

“I assure you, it is what you’ve heard and more,” she claimed. Len suppressed a smirk. The confident ones were always the easiest to play for information. He watched as she took another vial from her pocket, similar to the one she had sold just a few minutes ago- except that this one was glowing a bright neon pink, casting her face in shadows. She stared at it for a moment, her eyes gleaming with excitement. 

“The particle accelerator explosion was truly an awful thing… but it gave us a gift;  _ metahumans _ . So many were gifted with powers that we could only dream of. But not anymore. It is no longer just a dream. After extensively researching the subject, I’ve found a way to remove a subject’s powers. I suppose, in a way, it’s their essence.” She gently swirled the liquid.

“This vial in particular holds something quite special, even by metahuman standards.” She popped the cork out and it landed on the floor with a soft thump. Len’s eyes narrowed and he tensed.

“It was extracted from a young girl. She had a peculiar power indeed. She could see into the future. Not very far; maybe a couple minutes. Probably because of her age.” Len’s stomach did a flip. He was a criminal, but even he had morals. To kill a child… it was unforgivable. 

“Do you think I’m a fool, Cold?” Before Len could process what was happening, she was drinking the vial. Their cover was blown as she turned to where Barry was hiding. He held his breath.

“Shoot them.” Barry was across the room in a second, nothing but a red blur as he scooped Len up into his arms and took off, frantically looking for the nearest exit. 

“There,” Tina commanded her men, pointing to an empty spot just a split second before Barry was speeding in that direction. A flurry of bullets was unleashed on the spot, intersecting with Barry’s course. His eyes widened and he had only enough time to turn and shield Len from the worst of the damage. He cried out as bullets tore through him and he skidded painfully across the floor. Len was thrown from his arms and he clenched his teeth. His skin burned and he knew he was going to have a bad case of road rash when he stood up. He curled in on himself as he rode out the waves of pain coursing through his body. He raised his head at the sound of heels clicking on the concrete floor. 

“Well, isn’t this a pleasant surprise? The Flash.” He glared at her as she stepped towards Barry’s prone form a few feet away from him. She knelt down and set a hand atop Barry’s head. Len felt his stomach drop when he gave no reaction; not even a twitch. He didn’t move. 

“Is he alive?” He couldn’t stop the panicked words from tumbling out of his mouth. She looked at him and smiled. It sent shivers down his spine.

“Yes.” She looked down at him. He was covered in blood. A few bullets had gotten him in the legs; another in his shoulder. His mask had been shredded by the sudden loss of speed and trip across the ground, and Len felt something twist inside him. He ignored it as he watched Tina like a hawk, unable to move from his position on the floor. His heart was pounding a million miles per hour, but there wasn’t anything he could do as she gently stroked a finger along the length of Barry’s jaw. 

“He’s healing,” she said. She sounded surprised. Len saw that there were bloody scrapes covering the other’s face, and that they  _ were  _ in fact already starting to close. Tina turned to one of her guards.

“Take him to the prep room,” she ordered. The man nodded and bent to lift Barry up- none too gently- by his arms before proceeding to drag him away. 

“Hey! Stop!” He struggled to sit up, ignoring the stiffness and burning in his limbs. She watched him curiously as he took a few wobbly steps forward, a hand outstretched and reaching. His legs gave out and her expression changed to one of amusement. 

“Take him too. He can watch,” she said and another guard stepped forward, roughly tugging Len to his feet and shoving him ahead of him. He grunted but continued forward, his eyes trained on Barry's still limp body. ‘ _ Wake up. _ ’

They were brought to a dimly lit room that was completely empty aside from a single wooden chair. Barry was dropped unceremoniously into it. His hands were forced behind him and cuffed to the chair’s back before he could fall over. He sagged forward, his chin resting against his chest. Len winced sympathetically at the uncomfortable looking position. Len was pushed forward and forced to sit on the ground behind Barry as they took his hands and also cuffed them to the chair’s back. Without another word, they left. Len sighed. How were they going to get out of this one? He rested his chin on his raised arms.

“Joe,” he whispered. When he got no response he frowned. Of course. He was never that lucky. His comm system must have been busted somehow when they were compromised. He glanced up at the Barry's back, the only real part of him he could see from his spot on the ground. Again he felt a twinge of worry as he watched the rise and fall of his shoulders. Rationally, he knew that Barry would be okay and any wounds he had sustained would be- hopefully- healed within a few hours, but that didn't stop him from worrying. It was… unnerving, seeing someone that was usually bursting at the seams with energy suddenly so still and subdued. 

“Scarlet?” He waited for a response. Anything. A twitch of a finger, a jolt, anything. But there was nothing. He glared between the other's shoulder blades. 

“Come on, kid. Wake up,” he growled. Nothing. He raised a leg and kicked the chair furiously. Barry jolted forward, jarring his arms as he tried to jump up in shock. He whipped his head around, trying to find the source of his rude awakening. He glared down at Len. 

“ _ Ouch.  _ What the hell?” Len rolled his eyes. It was nice to know some things never changed. 

“Good morning, Scarlet. In case you hadn't noticed, we're kind of  _ stuck _ .” Barry looked around before giving his arms an experimental tug. When it did nothing, he pulled harder, straining forward with all his might, wincing as the metal cuffs bit painfully into his wrists. 

“Stop. It's no use. We'll have to find some other way out,” Len said. Barry ignored him and kept pulling and pulling, until his wrists were raw and bleeding. Len waited patiently. 

“Are you done?” Barry's shoulders dropped in defeat. 

“Is there any way for you to- what did you call it? Phase? Can you phase out of them?” Barry shook his head in response. He had no energy left in him and was still too weak from his injuries. Len frowned and let his eyes skim over the parts of him that he could see- which wasn’t much. From what he could tell, the other had stopped bleeding and at least most of the bullets had gone all the way through. It would take some time for them to heal, but at least nothing would be stuck inside when that happened. Unfortunately they didn’t have that kind of time. 

Len looked up as the door to the room creaked open and in stepped Tina. She had exchanged her long coat for a lab coat, and Len felt a sense of dread weighing heavy in his gut. Nothing good could possibly come of this. She pushed a small cart into the room with her, a steel tray sitting on top of it. Various tools rattled in the tray as she wheeled it over to where they sat. Barry’s face paled at the sight. He swallowed thickly before schooling his face to scowl at her. She smiled at him, but there was no warmth in her calculating eyes. She withdrew a thick sharpie from her pocket and uncapped it before leaning down. She marked Barry’s throat with a precise dotted line. 

“The extraction process is a very tricky one,” she said as she stepped back and carefully studied her work.

“I have to be  _ very _ careful and accurate in everything I do, otherwise I may not get any essence at all. It’s all quite difficult, but worth it in the end.” She turned back to her tray and fiddled with the tools. When she turned back to face them, she was cradling a knife, it’s sharpened tip glinting wickedly. Len pulled frantically at his cuffs as Barry’s breathing grew more ragged. Barry stared at the knife with wide eyes.

“I have yet to figure out a way to…  _ safely _ extract it. Every subject thus far has regrettably perished.” She sighed.

“But it’s a small price to pay for the advancement of science.” She stepped forward and gripped Barry’s jaw hard as she forced him to look at her. She had a wide grin. Len wanted to wipe it off her face.

“I have a good feeling about you though.” She brought the knife up to his throat.

“Barry, now!” Len pulled with all his might as Barry threw all his weight back. The chair toppled back, and Len rolled out of the way as much as his restraints would allow, wincing as his arms were pulled harshly by the chair. The satisfying sound of splintering wood met his ears and he quickly sprang to his feet. His hands were still cuffed together in front of him, but at least they weren’t attached to the chair anymore. They had a fighting chance now. Barry wasted no time in struggling to his feet just as Tina came charging at him, her face twisted in rage, swinging her knife wildly. 

“I will not let you ruin all my hard work,” she screeched as Barry narrowly avoided the blade’s sharp edge. With his hands bound tightly behind his back and his balance thrown off, he was finding it increasingly difficult to avoid her deadly strokes. 

“Len! A little help would be nice,” he called as he dodged yet another swipe of the vicious woman’s knife. He yelped as his foot slipped out from under him and he was sent crashing to the ground. Len barreled into her just as she lifted the knife above her head, set to strike him dead. He grappled with her and the knife was knocked from her grasp, sliding across the floor.

“No! No, stop,” she screamed as he pinned her down. She glared at him and tears were gathering in her eyes.

“Please! You’re a man of logic! Surely you must understand! I’m doing this for science, for knowledge! I’m doing this for the betterment of mankind! Imagine what we could do with him. His healing capabilities are incredible! There’s so much we don’t know,” she pleaded frantically. His blood was boiling and he gripped her wrists in a painful steel grip. 

“You were going to  _ kill him _ ,” he hissed. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to freeze all her limbs; one by one. No one would lay a hand on his Scarlet.  _ Especially  _ not the likes of her. He didn’t move when he felt a sudden pressure on his back. He gripped harder, until his knuckles were white and she was crying under him.

“That’s enough.” Barry spoke softly, his face pressed in between the other man’s shoulders. Len shook his head, refusing to utter a single word in response. Barry sighed.

“Len,  _ please _ . Let’s go home. I want to go home. Okay?” Len glared at the woman before he sighed. Without any warning, he slammed her head back into the floor. She went limp and Len couldn’t help the satisfied smirk that spread his lips. She would be waking up with one hell of a headache. He let her go and turned to face Barry. His chest swelled with relief at seeing the other- a little worse for wear, but okay. He carefully stood up on shaky legs and wandered over to the tray that now lay abandoned on the floor, having been knocked over in their fight. Sharp tools of all kinds were scattered across the floor and he bent down to retrieve one. He made quick work of the cuffs on his wrists and then went over to pick the lock on Barry’s. 

“Thanks.” Len smiled softly at him as the other rubbed his aching wrists. Len’s eyes trailed down to the pale skin of his throat where dotted lines still marked it. His heart skipped a beat as he thought of all the ways the mission could’ve gone wrong, all the ways it  _ had  _ gone wrong. What if they had been a second to late? Tina would have slit his throat without a second thought. She would’ve taken everything that made Barry who he was. She would’ve bottled it up to sell to the highest bidder, like it wasn’t anything special. He tried to push back the thought and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Barry’s slender waist, drawing him close. He pressed his lips to the spot she had marked, right above his pulse point. He felt Barry’s heart speed up under his mouth and smiled. He pulled back.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” he said quietly. Barry leaned heavily against him.

“You too. I don’t know what I would’ve done if anything had happened to you.” Len hated how meek Barry sounded. He wasn’t supposed to sound like that. He gave him a quick squeeze.

“Let’s go. Before the cops get here.” Barry nodded, but he didn’t move. If anything he leaned into him even more. Len raised an eyebrow and Barry gave him an embarrassed smile.

“I don’t think I can walk,” he said, his cheeks turning a brilliant shade of red to match his suit. Len chuckled and bent down to scoop him up into his arms, one hand under his knees and another supporting his back.

“I’m sorry,” Barry mumbled while glaring down at his bloody legs as if they personally offended him. 

“It’s okay, Barry.” As they exited the warehouse, he held him even closer, enjoying the warmth of him against his chest. It meant he was alive. He was there. They would be okay.


End file.
